Question: Engravers in Germany?

[Fred Bowen]

My wife & I will be visiting our daughter in Sonneberg, Germany, for about two weeks. We plan to take some "day trips" to places of interest, including any that are engraving/gunmaking related. We will be travelling on Germany's excellent train system rather than driving and have already visited Suhl and Oberndorf.

Sonneberg is in Thuringia on the border with Bavaria near Coburg. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[Sebastian Leyh]

Hallo Fred, I don`t know when you gonna do your trip to Sonneberg. In 2 and a half week school starts again and you could visit our Engravers an gunsmith school in Suhl.

Ich bin Auszubildender Graveur im dritten Lehrjahr. Es wäre sicherlich mal interessant unsere Schule zu besuchen.


Greetings

Sebastian

 

[Dave London]

Try ULM , home to Anschutz, Kreigoff, Walther etc. And if I remember right the train tracks go right by the Anschutz,Kreigoff factorys

 

[handengraver]

Fred, I have a strong feeling that wherever You go in Germany, even in some small towns, You will find skilled engravers in open stores, offering full service. I can recall visiting in Upper Austria, in the Saltzkammergut area in 1971. To my surprize, on the main street of a really small resort town (perhaps Bad Ischl?) there was a hand engraver's shop, with a very friendly master, and his son apprenticing.

Our profession over there is more acknowledged, and less underground...

Have a safe and pleasent trip. Greetings - Ivan

 

[Fred Bowen]

Thanks,Dave, I'll put Ulm on the list.

I know what you mean, Ivan. The first time I visited Sonneberg, I walked down Main Street, and found "The Waffen Shoppe", so I had to check it out. The owner was building a longrifle on the counter, so we hit it off right away. I asked if there was anything I could send him from the states and said, books. So I sent a stack of books on muzzleloading and brought him a flintlock on the next trip. He treated me to a tour of Coburg Castle and a book of the contents of the gun museum there. A good country for gun-related interests and...did I mention the beer?

 

[Martin Strolz]

Fred,
Go to Suhl! You can visit the engravers Andreas Amthor, Erich Friedrich, Hendrik Frühauf, Joachim Heym, Winfried Heym, Kati Mau, Volkmar Prautsch, Michael Richter, Silke Schmidt, Andreas Todt, Werner Wahl, Wilma Wolf and Uwe Zimmermann.

Mr. Frühauf I know since his visit in Kansas last year, he is a very good engraver. Here is his contact data:
Hendrik Frühauf, Alte Dorfstraße 16, Rappelsdorf, 98553 Schleusingen
Tel./Fax: 036841 / 4 35 82 email: hf@gebrueder-fruehauf.de

Have a nice trip,
Martin

P.S. 1 Anyway, take Sebastian Leyh's offer and see the school for engravers too!
P.S. 2 Rappelsdorf is a bit south of Suhl.

 

[Fred Bowen]

Thanks, Martin. When in Suhl in 2001, I bought a book, Suhler Waffenkunst, that had many of the engravers you mentioned in it. I will contact Herr Fruehauf and see what we can work out. If he came to Grand Masters weekend I may have met him, but don't recall for sure.

 

[Martin Strolz]

Hendrik Frühauf and Roger Bleile

 

[Fred Bowen]

I do remember meeting him. I hope we can work something out. Thanks again.

 

[pilkguns]

Fred,
I will be in Munich. Jul 30-Aug 6. Might run over to see Martin in Steyr for a day depending on how things go at the range

you've rode with me before LOL

 

[Fred Bowen]

Scott, the ride is etched in my memory. I will wear a blindfold next time. Got my heartrate up though.